Walther CCP | Concealed Carry Pistol [REVIEW]

Is the Walther CCP capable of knocking the Glock 43, Ruger LC9s, or S&W Shield from their respective top spots? My evaluation should hopefully shine some light on the matter.

For some context, my current EDC is a Glock 27, carried appendix/centerline method with an inside-the-waistband (IWB) holster. I've carried this same ﬁrearm for more than 9 years now, and it's safe to say that I like it. I have also carried other ﬁrearms from time to time, so I can give educated, ﬁrst hand opinions to my students when they ask about different concealed carry options.

While I have found some that I really like, could recommend, and that I would feel comfortable carrying on a daily basis, I have yet to ﬁnd one that could separate me from my Glock 27. That was until I tried the Walther CCP. While it is too soon for me to retire my tried and true carry piece, this ﬁrearm may just be the one to do it.

Buying a defensive ﬁrearm is a very personal choice because individual needs and likes vary. Therefore, this may not be the best ﬁrearm for you. The following is just my take on it …

As you can tell from its name, the CCP is designed for concealed carry. It's set to compete with the similarly sized Ruger LC9S, Smith & Wesson Shield 9 and the Glock 43. It competes in every manner, to include price, size, and capacity. Speaking of which, it is a single stack 9mm, striker-ﬁred, semi-automatic pistol; with a polymer receiver and a steel slide. This isn’t a comparison article, rather, the other ﬁrearm’s specs are included to provide a reference point.

DIMENSIONS:

Glock 43

S&W Shield 9

Ruger LC9s

Walther CCP

Barrel

3.39”

3.10”

3.12”

3.54”

Length

6.26″

6.1″

6.0″

6.41″

Width

1.02″

0.95″

0.9″

1.18″

Height

4.25″

4.6″

4.5″

5.12″

Weight

17.95 oz

19 oz

17.2 oz

22.24 oz

The size and weight of any firearm are not only crucial to its ability to be comfortably carried and concealed but is a large factor on how the ﬁrearm ﬁts in your hand and transfers recoil to your hands. As you can see, the CCP comes out as the largest and heaviest in the group, but is by no means a large ﬁrearm. In fact, for those who have some trouble getting a comfortable grip on some of the sub-compacts because of the short grip area, the CCP solves this with the added half inch or so.

The weight of the CCP is slightly more than the others, with an extra four ounces (on average) of weight, which is negligible and helps the gun feel very balanced. For some perspective, a deck of cards is about 3.5 ounces.

CAPACITY & IDPA POWER RATING:

Glock 43

S&W Shield

Ruger LC9s

Walther CCP

Capacity

6 Rounds

7/8 Rounds

7 Rounds

8 Rounds

IDPA Power Rating

139802

138773

138844

140334

Capacity is an important factor to consider in your EDC gun. All these ﬁrearms have decent capacity for a single stack 9mm option, but if you can squeeze an extra round or two into your ﬁrearm, it can only be considered a plus.

The IDPA Power Ranking is a fancy way of comparing the kinetic energy of the same bullet ﬁred from each different ﬁrearm. It is calculated by multiplying the muzzle velocity by the bullet weight and factoring in the length of the barrel.

As you can see, the capacity is higher, as is the Power Rating.

RECOIL FACTOR:

Glock 43

S&W Shield

Ruger LC9s

Walther CCP

Recoil Factor

6.2 ft-lbs

7.0 ft-lbs

7.7 ft-lbs

6.0 ft-lbs

Perceived recoil is important in a number of different ways. First, and probably most obvious, extreme recoil is not an enjoyable aspect of shooting a ﬁrearm. Furthermore, the anticipation of this recoil can wreak havoc on accuracy and fundamentals.

Additionally, recoil or the ability to manage recoil is critical in a defensive pistol. This is because your shot placement, not caliber, determines the effectiveness of rounds on target. The more rounds you can place on a threat, the better chance you have of stopping it. A ﬁrearm with less recoil is easier to manage and thus, easier to follow up with well-aimed shots.

The Walther CCP has a design that is slightly heavier in weight and makes use of a delayed blowback system. Both of which help aid in recoil management. How does this differ from many other handguns on the market? Most semi-automatic handguns are recoil operated. Meaning, the pressure of the ﬁred cartridge powers the gun by cycling the slide to the rear. All of the built up pressure and gas exits the ﬁrearm through the muzzle. This escaping pressure causes the muzzle to rise.

The CCP, on the other hand, is designed with what the company refers to as “Soft Coil” Technology. The design is a gas-delayed blowback system, similar to the HK P7 or Steyr GB. This design uses a ﬁxed barrel and a gas piston. Some of the gas is bled off and routed to the piston, which opposes the backward motion of the slide. Once the bullet leaves the barrel, the pressure is released out of the muzzle.

This design sounds complex, but it is simple and extremely effective at reducing perceived recoil. The design is not without its downside. The gasses captured are extremely hot. Because of this, sustained shooting can quickly heat up the underside of the ﬁrearm directly in front of the trigger guard. In my experience, sustained shooting of about 75 rounds causes the area in front of the trigger guard to become uncomfortable.

This is an issue that can easily be managed and an absolute non-issue for the ﬁrearms intended for self-defense use (if you are in a 100+ round ﬁreﬁght with your CCP, it’s probably best to break contact and live to ﬁght another day).

As a side note, the gas-delay design allows the CCP to have a very light recoil spring installed. Why is this important? That heavy recoil spring is what makes the slide hard to operate for some women and elderly shooters. Because this spring is very light, the slide is incredibly easy to operate.

The controls (external safety or magazine release) on your EDC need to match your preference. For a number of reasons, some of you prefer not to have an external safety, while some of you want it on your EDC. Your personal preference, comfort, and level of proﬁciency with your ﬁrearm should dictate which route you choose. Going from a Glock 27 without an external safety, to the CCP, I have had to put in a lot of time practicing my draw technique.

I have been stubborn in speciﬁcally choosing ﬁrearms without an external safety, but not because the safety will drastically slow me down in presenting the ﬁrearm. In fact, with proper, repetitive and continuous practice, you can easily incorporate the sweeping off of the safety into your draw without adding any time. My stubbornness came from ergonomics and ﬁt of the ﬁrearm. Because of the size of my hands (smaller than average), I was never able to ﬁnd a ﬁrearm whose safety I could access without adjusting my grip or using my off hand.

Additionally, all the external safeties just did not feel responsive to my touch and were awkward, until now. The external safety on the CCP is superb. If I could put the safety anywhere on the CCP, I would have put it exactly where it is. It is easy to sweep on and off and its shape is not uncomfortable, likely to snag or to be inadvertently engaged or disengaged. Because I carry appendix/centerline, the ability to have an easily operated external safety with a striker ﬁred ﬁrearm, has been quite alluring. Although a ﬁrearm is only as safe as its operator, having an extra layer of safety can’t hurt.

The mag release is very tactile and is a great size. Like everything else on the gun, the magazine release was designed to be streamlined so as not to catch on a holster or clothing. It is sufﬁciently recessed, (but not overly), so as not to accidentally release the magazine. With a proper grip, I ran no risk of inadvertently depressing the mag release. Additionally, the mag release is ambidextrous and can be switched for a left handed shooter. The safety is only set up for a right-handed shooter, so I wouldn't call this a left-handed friendly gun. But again, the option to reverse the mag release is there.

Sights, Trigger, and Everything else:

Sights –

Sights on a defensive pistol are still important, even though much self-defense shooting may be done without obtaining sight alignment or sight picture. My recommendation for sights on an EDC is to have the front sight something easily picked up by your eye. Very small 3 dot sights are not the best, but most defensive concealed carry pistols’ sights are minimalistic. As far as the CCP's sights are concerned, they are indeed minimalistic.

They leave a little to be desired, however, they are easily changed out and at least one large brand aftermarket sight manufacturer produces replacement sights for this concealed carry pistol. The rear sights are adjustable for windage, but out of the box, I found them to be spot on.

Trigger –

The trigger is not ideal.

Trigger weight or pull, travel, and reset are all factors to take into consideration for any gun. The type of trigger pull you prefer on your ﬁrearm is likely as unique as the type of music you listen to. Trigger pull weight is just a portion of the trigger's equation, and the CCP’s trigger pull is 5.5 lbs. Having said that, it feels completely different from the 5.5 lb trigger pull on my Glock.

I ﬁnd that the trigger pull on the CCP is disappointing, not in a way that makes it difﬁcult to shoot accurately, but just differently from the super smooth triggers, I have felt on other Walther ﬁrearms. The trigger pull weight is great at just 5.5 lbs, but the travel and reset are quite long and just take a bit of getting used to. When I ﬁrst shot the CCP, I actually had a couple times when ﬁring rapidly, that I failed to let the trigger all the way out to it’s reset point. This is most likely due to me training extensively with a Glock trigger, whose reset is much shorter.

This was easily overcome, however, with some more trigger time–but is still worth noting. With this ﬁrearm having an external safety, I think Walther could have done a little more ﬁne tuning with the trigger and produced a trigger with much shorter travel and reset. Perhaps in the future, Walther will respond.

Ergonomics –

Ergonomics and finish are top notch on the CCP. This is possibly the most comfortable gun I have placed in my hand. It just seems to melt into my hand and every control feels like it is exactly where I need it to be. The styling is very nice and although I am not huge on the appearance of my EDC (heck, I carry a Glock), it is nice to see the attention to detail that went into the design and aesthetics of the gun.

Disassembly –

Field stripping the CCP is different from other pistols.

I am not a big fan of any ﬁrearm that requires a tool for disassembly, and the CCP requires one. I like to be able to take my ﬁrearm apart with just my hands and nothing else. If you lose the tool you can still take the gun apart with a screwdriver, but it’s not ideal. Some people have reported the CCP is difﬁcult to take apart, but I had no issues or difﬁculty with it.

In fact, I ﬁnd it very simple, even though a tool is required. One thing to note about the takedown procedure is that the striker has to be forward for the ﬁrearm to be disassembled. This means the trigger has to be pulled prior to disassembly. Great care should be taken whenever disassembling a firearm to ensure you don't have a negligent discharge on your hands.

Conclusion:

This gun was a very big surprise to me and I didn’t think I would like it this much. The trigger is probably the biggest gripe I have, however it is not something I would consider a deal breaker. Again, I have ﬁeld tested many different concealed carry handguns and think this really raised the bar for competition in its category.

The ergonomics are difﬁcult to describe, other than saying that it just ‘feels right’. This concealed carry pistol was easy to shoot and very accurate. The CCP held tight groups at distance and even though the sights are not ideal, were easy to acquire in the daylight. For a 9mm handgun in this size, the perceived recoil is transferred straight back, reducing the rise of the muzzle, translating into more controllability. The size and weight are perfect for concealed carry and the entire package Walther put together in the CCP really is a winner.

UPDATED ON AUGUST, 24, 2016

As I am not a salesman for Walther and merely want to provide you readers with the best information on the products I review, I wanted to update the article with one of the reader's experiences with his CCP. His chronicles are posted in the comments section of this article, but I wanted to address it in the body of the article as well. John purchased a Walther CCP based on research gathered from articles and reviews and personal experience with the gun.

Unfortunately, he had a myriad of feeding and extracting issues. The issues were occurring with different brand/grain ammunition, and with multiple magazines. John sent the firearm into Walther and they replaced the slide. Even after this John was experiencing feeding issues. John will keep the readers up to date in the comments section of this article.

I personally have not experienced the same problems John has experienced with his CCP and I am not posting this update to claim all CCP's are not reliable. I pride myself on keeping the reader informed and wanted to provide you with all the latest and greatest info I have on a product I review. I am sure there will be more to come.

If you were unaware, the CCP has been recalled for drop firing issues. You can find more information here, on their website.

If you have any experience with a CCP drop firing or any positive experiences, we want to hear about them in the comments below.

About Matthew Maruster

Matthew Maruster currently lives in Columbus, Ohio. Matthew is a Marine Corps Infantry Staff Sergeant and served as a Platoon Sergeant during combat in Iraq. After his military service, he served as a Police Officer in San Diego County. He was a lead marksmanship instructor in the Marine Corps. As well as an assistant range master, and crisis negotiator at his former police department. Matthew is an NRA and USCCA Concealed Carry and Home Defense Instructor, Range Safety Officer, Triple Guardian Pistol Instructor and has over 19 years of professional firearms instruction and training. Matthew has a Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice from National University and is the producer of the Concealed Carry Podcast and coordinator for the Concealed Carry National Instructor Network. He is the founder and lead firearms instructor for at MJ Maruster Defense.

Thank you Sir. I am happy you were able to get some useful info from the article. With everyone having their own personal preferences for what they like in a firearm there definitely is no ‘one size fits all’ solution, but as long as you have information and know your options I’m sure you will find something both you and your wife love. Good luck and stay safe! God bless.

I bought this firearm for my wife as it gives her the 9mm without the harsh recoil of the subs out today. Its small enough to fit in her purse. Shoots like a dream and the most accurate out of the box pistol I have ever purchased and that’s a lot. BUT I HATE CLEANING IT.
I had to watch a freakin YouTube video 5 times to get the hang of it and still its not easy.

Anyone shoot the CCP next to the PPS M2? I’ve been looking at Walther for while to replace my S&W M&P Shield 9. I keep seeing great reviews on both of these pistols, but I’m torn and not been able to find a range near me that has either to rent and try out. I tried my Shield side by side to a Glock 43 and I really love my Shield 9. I hated the Glock 43. The Shield 9 feels great in my hand, shoot very accurate and very controllable. I won’t replace it until I can try one myself, but the Walthers look like the best option so far to beat my Shield 9.

Hi Erik, I haven’t had the opportunity to shoot the PPS M2 yet. I’ve held one and it has that same terrific Walther ergonomics you would expect. It feels good in the hand, size and weight are really nice as well. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to get one out to the range yet though 🙁 I actually liked the feeling of the 43 (but I admit I do like glock pistols). That being said the 43’s trigger feels a little different from the trigger I’m used to on other glock models. I didn’t measure it, but just from feel, it seems the reset may be a little longer on the 43. The shield is definitely a solid performer in that single stack 9mm pistol class. Definitely try and get some rounds down range with the CCP and see if you like it. The recoil is directed straight back as opposed to up so the feeling is a little different. Not bad at all, just different. Good luck and thanks for the comment.

I have purchased the CCP. It does fit my hand perfect. That’s the reason I bought it. My G23 doesn’t fit my hand very well. Plus I wanted a thinner/ single stack 9MM. Out of the box it shoots very well. With my CCP I haven’t found the ammo it likes yet. I get to about 100 rounds it doesn’t eject the case or doesn’t load the next round at times. Iv’e contacted Walther and was told that 100 rounds is about it for this weapon. It will do this. Also told that Remington or Winchester white box, 115 grain are what works best. Haven’t gotten around to finding any here. We are new to Las Vegas and the gun store or range don’t carry Winchester or Remington.Can you believe that. I’ll find someplace here that does though.
Doug

Doug, thank you so much for the feedback. I am curious, do the failures come after sustained firing of around 100 rounds (like over a period of an hour or so)? I’m wondering if this could have something to do with the gun’s design and its tendency to heat up quicker than other guns. Did Walther have any specific reason for the stoppages? I haven’t experienced the stoppages with my firearm but will definitely keep tabs on it and update the article if it develops this problem. I have use Winchester white box with no problems. Check with your local Walmart many of them carry this ammo at good prices. Keep tabs and let us know if the ammo change helps and if after some more rounds through the gun doesn’t help end those problems. Good luck and thanks so much for the input.

Matt, I’m picking up a Ststeel CCP later this week after reading many reviews. Yours was one of the best and your bio gives me confidence in your opinions. There is one thing a bit worrisome I found on line that I’d like to see you comment on. In an online video an engineer (Chinese I believe from his accent) who examined the CCP pronounced it inherently unsafe. If you should inadvertently manually short stroke the slide, he said, it’s possible to chamber a round without having cocked the striker. That means the firing pin would rest on the chambered round’s primer without the user knowing it, a very dangerous situation. He demonstrated this on camera, but I found it hard to follow. From your experience with the CCP, does this scenario seem likely or even possible?

Hi John, First, thanks so much for the feedback on the review and the kind words, I truly appreciate it. As far as the video, I never saw it before, but when you mentioned it I searched and found it. I did see how the guy was able to chamber a round without pulling the slide all the way to the rear. As he described, it does look like the possibility for a round to be in the chamber, with the striker/firing pin forward resting against the primer is possible. I researched this issue quite a bit and even called Walther. The public relations department for Walther is going to get back with me in the next few days and they may post their response here or, I can post their official response.

I saw the video has been around for over a year. A couple initial ideas I had about the video. The only thing that I was really concerned about was the possibility of a round being chambered without the striker being cocked, and the firing pin resting against the primer. The other concerns, could be due to a host of things, not coming from a design flaw. I think the possibility of someone accidentally ‘short stroking’ the slide in such a way to get a round chambered without fully pulling the slide to the rear is pretty remote. You would have to pull it back to that exact point, no more no less. Additionally, if this were to happen I think the bigger concern I would have is that if you pull the trigger the gun would not fire (because the striker would not be cocked). As far as the firing pin resting on the primer, not an idea situation by any means, but while I studied up on this issue, I found a guy who took the powder charge from a cartridge but kept the primer in tact. He replicated the situation described where the round was chambered with the striker forward and the firing pin resting on the primer. He tried several things to get the primer to detonate, but could not get the gun to fire. When the cartridge was removed there was some dimpling on the primer but not nearly enough to detonate the primer.

Different ammo brands have different primers that require varying amount of pressure to detonate. So I guess in a perfect storm of circumstances a round could potentially be unintentionally fired. I don’t think this is very likely, but I have to say I am not an engineer. I would think that if this was a serious safety recall, Walther would promptly recall and fix the gun. They are known for quality. I would also expect to have heard about unintended discharges from this gun. Sorry I do not have a better answer, but as soon as I hear from Walther I will post it here. Thanks again for the question and for reading the article. Stay safe!

Thanks, Matt, for your thoughts …and for going more than the extra mile to get answers! I’m very glad I found your site!

I’m scheduled to pick up the pistol Friday afternoon, and I’m still inclined to go through with the buy. Long ago I fell in love with Makarov chambered pistols because they are blowback designs. Their only downside is the weakness of the 9X18 round, and this Walther pistol offers me the kind of pistol I like in the caliber that for me is the gold standard.Tough to pass it up.

Your point is well taken that, especially in the current legal atmosphere, Walther would be highly unlikely to let a serious design flaw threaten the company’s very existence for very long. I’m interested to see Walther’s answer to the question so I’ll be sure to check back. Maybe it’ll come in even before I go to the gun shop,

Keep up your truly exceptional work, and thanks again for doing so much to help me.

Hi John, it’s really my pleasure. If I felt I couldn’t help people make informed choices and learn something to help them protect themselves or their family, I would definitely stop doing this. Hearing things like this from readers and students really motivates me to constantly raise the bar and put out quality information. I agree with your take on Walther accepting the liability of continuing to sell a potentially unsafe firearm. The blowback design of the CCP is a throwback, and I think the CCP does it well. I am also very interested to hear from Walther on this. Stop back after you pick up and fire your CCP. Let us know what you think. 🙂

Matt, I had written Walther before writing you but hadn’t heard back. After my posts & your answers, their response arrived! It was very professional and helpful. They had actually seen the Chinese fellow’s video, but discounted it as a problem all but impossible to recreate unless you TRIED, and tried really hard. (Of course, if someone wants to make any firearm malfunction and invests enough time and effort, he’ll probably succeed eventually!) I’m very happy with the attention Walther afforded my inquiry.

I will definitely let you know how the CCP performs for me, but it may be a couple of weeks since I have a commitment out of country after I pick it up Friday. Range time will have to wait a bit.

John, that is great news. Glad to hear they got back to you! I have contacted Walther in the past and they have always provided really good customer service. I agree with their statement about it being extremely difficult to ‘accidentally’ have this situation occur, but like I said I am neither an engineer or a representative for Walther. I learned a long time ago (as I bet you have) that it is always best to go straight to the horses mouth to get the information. Have a fun and safe trip and can’t wait to hear how you like it when you get some rounds down range.

Matt
I picked up the pistol this afternoon. I like the tight feel of it and the grip, as has just about every reviewer I’ve read. But here is why I am posting again. When I got home I discovered a single-sided 4″ X 6″ extra instruction sheet in the pistol’s case. It has a photo of the pistol, slide retracted & a red arrow pointing at the striker, and reads:

“ATTENTION!
When retracting the slide, make sure it fully travels into rearward position. Otherwise the striker will not reach the sear, which may cause feeing (sic) issues due to the protruding firing pin. To clear this situation grasp the slide from the rear and briskly pull it fully rearward. By releasing the slide again, it will go into battery and the striker will be cocked.”

It’s a bit hard to tell from the code at the bottom of the paper, but this additional instruction seems to have been published in Feb. 2016. It has to have been prompted by the video we both saw.

Wow, very interesting. So Walther has addressed the issue, probably finding that it is not as much a safety concern, but a concern with function and feeding. I felt this was probably more of the concern, that a round could be chambered without the striker being cocked. I still think it takes very precise conditions to produce this issue. Well thanks so much for the update, I appreciate the follow-up and I know the readers appreciate it as well.

Thank you for an informative article. I have a CCP and like it for an EDC. For lack of a better description, this gun just feels perfect in my hand and shoots accurately. I have put a few different types of ammo through it with no problems. Mostly Winchester 115gr fmj for practice but a few different jhp as well all without issue. I was not a fan of the assembly process and that tool provided wears quickly. After a few tries it is easier and is no longer as awkward as it was at first. On assembly I was unintentionally bringing it back too far so it was hard to get it to snap down. Once I realized what my problem was and matched the slide depth to the back of the gun it was quite easy. The piston can be a little tricky to line up but it is not something I would say is hard. The trigger does seem ‘scratchy’ but it is really only noticeable to me on carefully aimed shots with slow trigger pull. It was not noticeable at all for me with a crisp trigger pull. The longer reset takes some practice to get used to. Overall, I like the CCP and feel comfortable carrying it. I prefer a manual safety and its inclusion on the CCP combined with the drop safety make this one of the safer EDC options in my opinion.

As promised I am reporting on my first outing with the CCP this morning. I put 150 rounds through it, 100 Perfecta 115gr (Itallian) & 50 Federal aluminium case, also 115gr.

First the good news. I love the feel of the gun and it is very accurate. This was the first time I ever fired the gun and had no problem putting all rounds in the 9 ring or better at 10 meters (I always practice at this distance since I want to use the gun as a defense weapon, not a marksman’s tool). I agree with those who say the trigger feels grainy only if you squeeze it VERY slowly. Also, overheating of the frame after many rounds fired is simply not a problem; I barely noticed it at all.

But, when someone starts out with “the good news,” you know the bad can’t be far behind. I don’t offer it to damn the gun, but rather to get your take on what happened. I lost count of the number of stovepipes and failures to properly feed, perhaps 10 out of the 150 rounds; that’s 10 too many for a defensive pistol, as I’m sure you’ll agree. I also had one instance of chambering a round but failure to cock the striker (this was NOT due to short stroking when racking the slide since it happened 2 or 3 rounds into the magazine).

What I’d like to read is your opinion and that of others who have the pistol and understand it better than I do. Could all this have something to do with the way I cleaned it after purchase? (Full disclosure, I noticed a LOT of smoke throughout the time I was at the range, more than I’ve ever seen with my SIG P250 using the same ammo or with my Polish P-64 and its Russian Makarov ammo. Also, I used silicone on certain internals like the trigger’s parts that rub together & give the grainy feel everyone notes when using the CCP).

Hi John, thanks for getting back and reporting on your experience with the CCP. Fist, I haven’t heard back from Walther as of yet. I assumed they would have gotten back to me by now. I am actually out of the country, so when I get back, I will give them another call in reference to the other issue.

As far as having all the failures to feed, and failures to extract…totally unacceptable, I agree. I would be extremely frustrated myself! Tough to diagnose if it is a mechanical issue or ammo issue, or even a break-in issue. I have shot perfecta through my CCP without any issues, but not the Federal aluminum case. Did you notice any difference between those two ammo’s performance? I know sometimes different guns can be particular about aluminum cased ammo. I have been using remanufactured Freedom Munitions, and the Winchester white box ammunition and haven’t had the problems you are experiencing. Maybe it’s an ammo thing?
As far as break-in, it really shouldn’t ‘need’ to be broken in. Being a firearm owner, I can’t imagine you putting so much oil on the gun that you could cause these malfunctions. The gun definitely runs hotter than other handguns because of that blowback, and the excessive amount of smoke you were seeing may be an indication that some oil/lube got down in that piston area, and I think it could be possible that it could cause some issues.
As far as mechanical issues, I suppose you could have received a ‘lemon’ but it’s hard to say without diagnosing the issues one at a time. Were the malfunctions occurring with both magazines? I have seen many times where a bad magazine is the culprit of feeding malfunctions (but not extracting).
I would try some Winchester white box (walmart special) and log each shot, and see which magazine and roughly which round in the magazine you are getting the malfunctions. In doing this, you can diagnose if it is a magazine problem, or if it is an issue with the gun when it starts to heat up after putting some rounds through it. Also try and clean it to pretty much bone dry and then just sparingly oil it, so any chance of over lubrication is not an issue. Please let me know, I am hoping the issues can be fixed because that is utterly unacceptable. If this doesn’t diagnose the problem, at least you will have some real good info for Walther when you call to ask them what the heck is up with your gun.

Thanks, Matt, for taking time to answer. Yesterday at the range was a mixed bag. On the one hand, I love the feel and accuracy of the gun, but the malfunctions put a damper on my experience. I’ve cleaned it, taken all of the “grease” out of it and left it about as bone dry as you suggest. (I did notice the feed ramp was BLACK with residue when I cleaned it!) I want to see what happens next week at the range. I will say that both types of ammo failed yesterday. The first stove pipe was the second or third round into the third magazine of the aluminium, followed by lots of failures with the rest of the aluminium and the Perfecta.

I’m not sure if it happened with both mags or just one, something I definitely plan to check out. Because in fact the problem has to be with either the feed ramp (dirty? too oily?) or the magazine’s lips. What else can go wrong with what is basically a simple mechanical operation at high speed? I’ll keep you updated. (Btw, I wrote Walther and described the problem yesterday. Again, I’ll let you know what they say.)
John

Matt
One thing my son just reminded me of concerning this pistol. ALL the videos I’ve seen rave about how easy it is to rack the slide. Honestly, the one I have is not a bit easier to rack than my SIG P-250. Not only that but the slide catch is EXTREMELY hard to release when engaged. Was this the case with the CCP you used?

Matt
Just returned from the range with the CCP. 200 rds, 100 Winchester white box 115 gr, 100 Perfecta 115gr. I fired 50 more rnds than the other day with only four problems, far fewer than the first day out. Here they are:

2. F to F Winchester left round 1/2 way into chamber & slide stuck open; it was relatively easy to “unstick” it manually

3. 2nd F to F Winchester, but this time the slide jammed open about 1/2 way to full rear position and was VERY difficult to “unstick” — I’ve never experienced this kind of thing before & I have no explanation as to why it happened, what stopped the slide from fully cycling.

4. 2nd F to F Perfecta which did not strip round from the mag and did not cock striker, i.e. exactly like #1 above.

This is all a big improvement over the 10 problems I had the first day with fewer rounds, Numbers 1 & 4 I do not find to be very serious & may have to do with the round not being seated properly in the magazine. But problems 2 & 3 are serious since the gun was essentially jammed, the second time seriously jammed. I still cannot figure out what would make the slide stop mid-way traveling back to battery and just stick there. Any ideas?

Hey John, good to hear there were less malfunctions, but there should be ZERO malfunctions if you ask me. Im not sure exactly what could be causing the problems. If when you take it apart you don’t see any obvious wear marks that shouldn’t be there, indicating something is rubbing that shouldn’t be, and the magazine changes don’t make any difference, and the malfunctions are happening across 3 different types of ammunitions, I would say Walther needs to get you a new firearm or fix that one. It could be something simple like needing a different recoil spring, or something mechanical causing the problems. One thing is for sure, Walther needs to make it right for you. Sorry I can’t be of more help, but I would definitely like to hear what the final outcome is with this firearm.

I wrote my contact at Walther twice to his personal email account that he had sent me, the latest email about yesterday’s problem, but haven’t any response yet. I’ll give him a day or two more. What I suggested but didn’t mention above is that yesterday there were no stovepipes during 200 rounds of shooting, not one. That’s a BIG improvement.

I examined the springs (recoil & striker) and they seem to be normal, and I manually rack the slide smoothly all the time. That’s why I’m still scratching my head about how the slide even managed to stay open at the range, stubbornly so, without my having engaged the slide detente or even trying to do so. I will definitely let you know what I discover.

Matt
The gun came back from Walther today (btw, nice service dept, no nonsense, efficient), and it turns out the gun was the problem after all, the reasons for the stovepipes and other failures. The gunsmith at Walther replaced the slide and returned it to me within 10 days. It feels very smooth and tomorrow it’s out to the range where I suspect everything will go fine. I’ll keep you updated.
John

Good to hear John! Walther has been good in the past at least in my experience, at customer service. However, I am still waiting on a reply from them on some sort of official statement. Even a link to an official statement on their web page would be great, but I haven’t heard anything. It will be good to see how the gun runs tomorrow!

Good morning, Matt
I took the repaired CCP to the range and fired 120 rnds of 115gr Remington through it. Sorry to report that I had two failures to feed and one perplexing jam: the gun jammed closed after firing a round and I had to pull with all my strength to overcome it. Rack the slide of your CCP and you will notice the slide travels back effortlessly if the striker isn’t cocked, but once cocked there is a slight initial resistance to racking it manually again. On my gun, that initial resistance is HUGE instead of slight, very difficult to overcome. That explains why the thing was jammed closed on an expended round. Clearly, I cannot depend on this CCW for concealed carry. When I arrived home from the range, I wrote Walther an email saying I’d like them to simply replace this lemon with one that works. Naturally, I’m bummed because this gun is extremely accurate and I do want to carry it. I’ll let you know what happens.

John, Jeez, how frustrating, disappointing and completely unacceptable for a firearm designed for and identified as the companies Concealed Carry Pistol, to have this many problems with reliability. I am bummed for you! While I haven’t experienced the same problems you have, I definitely think a revision/addition to my original article is warranted. This article gets published in various forums and not everyone reads the comment section, so I would like to at least update the article and reference your issues. Please keep me posted as you advance in getting your firearm functional.

Hi Matt
CCP came back from 2nd repair at Walther today. Of course I haven’t taken it to the range yet, but they fixed the jamming problem I mentioned above by replacing the striker spring & spring guide. My guess is the spring is why the trigger bar was hanging up there once the striker was cocked. My hope is it will now behave at the range the way my son’s CCP does. For those reading this, I must say: despite a few hiccups, I REALLY LIKE THIS GUN. It’s innovative, extremely accurate, and fits your hand like no other firearm I have or have had. (I’m a BIG fan of both blow-back design pistols and the 9MM Luger round. Walther has integrated the two into a handsome, light carry gun.) By the way, I’ve learned with both my gun and my son’s to dispense altogether with the “disassembly tool.” To disassemble any available ball-point pen or same’s cap; to reassemble I use my thumb! Works every time & takes 10 seconds.

Took the CCP to the range along with my son and his CCP today. Between us, we fired 200 rds of ammo, Perfecta & Remington aluminum casing. He had no failures but I had 2, both failures to cock the striker. The jams I had last time have been cured by the spring replacement at Walther, & I’m hoping that, with more rounds through it, my CCP will perform like my son’s. I’m assuming the new springs mean the gun needs a 2nd break-in period. We’ll see.

Hi John, Thanks so much for keeping us up to date on your experience with the CCP. I can imagine how frustrating this has been. I really hope that Walther can get you a gun that functions 100 percent of the time! You have definitely added a lot of valuable substance to this review!

Tomorrow’s the last try for my CCP; I’m off to the range to give it “a second chance” after the most recent repair. I wrote Walther after the troubles experienced a week or so ago with the TWICE REPAIRED-AT-FACTORY gun. To date, though, I’ve heard nothing.

Here is my conclusion, Matt: This gun has an inherent flaw in the way it cocks the striker. I’m not a gunsmith so forgive me for putting this in layman’s terms. I think it cocks at the extreme of the slide’s backward travel. If a user happens to have one like mine, sort of on the edge if you will, just a bit “off” one way or another, it will NOT cock with absolute certainty every time it’s fired. I think you’ll agree that is simply unacceptable in any CC gun.

Many weeks ago I asked Walther to simply replace this lemon with another, but they wouldn’t bite. They preferred to try to “repair” it….twice They failed both times to judge from the evidence I’ve gathered at the range. Very disappointing given the reputation Walther has for quality. As I told Walther in my last e-mail, I have a SIG that has fired 2000+ rounds with NO failures of any kind. THAT’S the kind of performance any carry gun ought to be able to boast!

Matt
I took the CCP back to the range last Thursday to give it the proverbial “second chance.” My son & I both fired 100 rds of Perfecta FMJ, 115 gr ammo from our respective CCPs (I believe Perfecta is manufactured by Fiocchi, but I’m not sure).

My son’s CCP performed flawlessly as it has since his first experience firing it. Mine was almost flawless this time, real progress considering the problems I’ve encountered before. There was one failure to feed & cock after firing the first round of the 2nd magazine. That was it; the remaining 91 rounds were uneventful even when I deliberately fired some mags as fast as I could pull the trigger.

My chief complaint before was that the gun sometimes failed to cock the striker but chambered a round anyway, thus allowing an exposed firing pin to rest on the primer. What happened Thursday, while annoying, was not dangerous and merely required that I rack the slide to correct it. Analyzing the malfunction, I suspect the issue was with the first round in the magazine, perhaps underpowered for some reason. That would have prevented the slide from realizing full rearward travel, thus not cocking the striker, and might have interfered with its stripping a round from the magazind upon returning to battery.

The explanation I offer here does remind me of one important issue with this gun, one Walther tacitly acknowledged by including recently a new page in their owner’s manual. Users must be certain to fully retract the slide when racking manually to prevent it from chambering a round while failing to cock the striker. I would add that it is not a good idea after inserting a magazine to return the gun to battery by depressing the slide stop. Better to pull the slide fully to the rear and then release.

Knock on wood, I’ve started to recover my faith in the CCP, to believe perhaps the 2nd “fix” at Walther finally did the trick. I still like the gun a lot and I want it to be all the company says it is. To end on a positive note, the two times I returned it to Arkansas, there was no cost to me at all, and Walther sent it back very quickly along with a sheet detailing the work they had done. I have no complaints about their standing behind the warranty.

Wow that’s a journey John has been on! My experience has been super reliable except when I used some “reloads” from the range where I live then I had various problems with not chambering or expelling. Which when I returned to using new ammo winchester, federal etc . No further problems at all. This pistol is a great addition to my collection.

Wow, so many people have so many problems with their CCP’ s and mine works like a dream. My only complaint is breaking it down to clean it. Shooting it is a delight, it’s accurate, smooth and reliable. The best cc gun I have bought yet.

Here we are a year later, Matt, and the CCP is once again in Arkansas, it’s fourth visit! (Btw, the folks at Walther threw in the towel the 3rd time I returned it and sent me an entirely new gun. I never got a chance to take it to the range [snow] before the recall arrived in my e-mail!) This time they aren’t revealing just what is wrong, but it involves the danger of an AD if the thing is dropped, a very serious defect in any CC weapon. Twelve months of nothing but problems have finally soured me on the Walther name. Long ago, given all the serious complaints they were receiving, they should have offered all CCP owners a refund toward one of their other weapons, preferably a tried-and-proven item like the PPK. This saga is doing to them what the fiasco called the R-51 is doing to Remington, viz. destroying their company name.

Hi John, Thank you for keeping everyone updated. Unfortunately I have had a mixed bag of reviews on users experiencing problems with their CCP’s. Some have ran flawlessly, and some not so much. This last drop-safety recall is, like you said another nail in the coffin of a gun that has a mixed track record of reliability. The comparison to Remington’s R-51 is 100% spot on. I think even if Walther were to completely fix all the issues any user experienced with their CCP, they model has lost the confidence of many owners. Unfortunately, to add insult to injury, Walther has not responded to many of my requests to explain what the future of the gun is, and what modifications or corrections they would me making on future generations (if there will be any) of the gun. I am sure the new gun Walther sent you is different from the original one, but I wish we knew what the changes were.

Purchased my 61st firearm today…my first Walther, a CCP. I’m horrified. I could only stomach 60 rounds. More than 40 FTE or stove pipes. Multiple FTFs. Four fail to fire due to light strikes. Four instances where the slide locked forward on an empty case and had to be forced open. Every single mag failed to hold the slide open on an empty chamber. I was stunned. The 1914 Mauser pistol I bought that had a reputation as being unreliable looked stellar in comparison. How could you ever hope to “break in” this gun….it’s already broken.

Tim, this has become more of a trend than the outlier. It is troubling because Walther has produced some really good models over the years and this CCP model seems to be plagued with lemons. Mine ran really good, and I have been contacted by several CCP owners who also have had good experiences. However, FAR TOO MANY have shared your unsatisfactory reliability in their CCP.

To further pour salt into the wound, I have contacted Walther several times, in hopes to get an official statement about the reliability issues and any possible recalls or fixes etc. only to have those attempts go unanswered. I hope Walther can fix your gun, because I think anyone in their right mind would say 40+ malfunctions out of 60 rounds, a 67% malfunction rate is beyond ridiculous. Personally I don’t know how you fired 60 rounds without launching the gun downrange in full on display of absolute disgust.

I wish I had found your site prior to purchasing my CCP in May 2016. I am a “lefty” and was immediately attracted to many of the CCP features. Like John, I had about 8-10 “stovepipes” in my first 100 rounds fired. (Blazer/Magtech) I really like the feel of this gun and it does have a nice tight pattern. My second outing at the range was very similar to my first. Another 100 rounds (Winchester/IMI) and another 8-10 stovepipes, no feeding issues. I received the recall notice and sent my CCP to Walther for the necessary repairs. I also included a note describing my issues and asked if they could check it out for me. Received my CCP after repair and took it to the range today. 1st round fired, but slide failed to open to eject. Whole set of new issues. On it’s way back for repairs.

Excellent review Matt.
My wife could not find a CCW that she could rack. Tried everything from Glock to M&P to my little LCP. Was about to give up and go for a small revolver, yuck. One last try. Went to my favorite big box outdoor store and simply told the salesperson ” We need a CCW that my wife can rack. What can you do?” He pulled out the CCP, she took it and immediately racked it without hesitation. Since then she has shot many brands and bullet weight of ammo. Not one feeding or stovepipe issue. A little lighter perhaps would be good but if you can’t rack it what’s the point? By the way, wife is 67 years old and has had two broken wrists. Regarding the recall, no problems. Sent it in, got it back, still works great. Would like to break it down without a tool but that’s minor. Sorry to hear about all the issues from others. Wow! Guess we were lucky. purchased in Sept ‘ 16.

Thanks Larry,
Yes, unfortunately, it seems like the experience with this gun is all over the place. Either really great or really bad. The recall probably didn’t help the issue and cast a little more of a dark cloud over the model. I think that if you can get one that runs (and that appears to be a flip of a coin) it is a great gun.

I bought my CCP in July 2016. I’m not happy with it either. I took it to the range after I got it back from Walther Arms(recall). It is susceptible to limp wristing, but shooting with both hands, I had no cycling issues. However, in May (2017) I practiced shooting one handed for the first time. From one magazine, I got two FTL’s and two FTE’s. That’s not good!! Prior to contacting Walther Arms, I found one blog, stating that the CCP functions better with heavier grain rounds(124 gr and up). I’ve been using 115 gr Blazer Brass. Walther Arms support did confirm the use of heavier grain also. Will try in one last ditch effort to see if that works(124 gr and 147 gr). If not, this gun will be only for range use only.

Buds, offered $200 to sell back. That’s too much of a loss (purchased at $376).

I too have the CCP and have experienced the problem with the case ejecting. While at the range, I asked an instructor for feedback and he suggested it was hand placement. I corrected this and also changed ammo to the Wnchester ( white box ) and the next day I experienced the same issue. It happened only twice and was within the 100 round mark. After reading all of these reviews, I am a little concerned that this will be an ongoing issue. I do like the way the CCP feels and the size is perfect for my purse or use with compression concealed carry shorts under a dress!

Stay away from this hunk of junk. I love Walther pistols and own several other models but this one is junk. Bought this for my wife as an upgrade from her P22. She shot 150 rounds through it and felt confident enough to go take her CWP test with it. About 30 rounds into her test it quit firing. Of course none of the instructors there knew how to take this gun apart (CCP had only been out a few months at the time) nor did she bring the tool for it if they did. They did attempt to strip it but only managed to lock it up. When she got home I was able to tear it down and found the striker had broke in half. Sent it back to Walther they repaired it and we fired a couple mags through it. At this point I was very skeptical of her using this gun for her EDC so I got her a S&W bodyguard since she still was not sure about the kick of a 9mm. Shortly after Walther recalled the CCP for the drop fire issue. Back to the mfg it went. Got it back this time and now it has FTL on every ammo we have tried plus the gun rattles more now. Contacted Walther and told them I would like a different gun. asked them to exchange the CCP for something else. I was told no. So I am stuck with this piece of junk that I paid $400 for and is only worth $200 on trade. Later I did give her one of my PPS’s and she loves it and has had no issues. The CCP was great for her to get comfortable with a 9mm I just wish it was cheaper for her to do so. Now it is a great training tool for her to get comfortable with jams and FTL (at least 3 rounds per mag).

Hi, Matthew. You have become my favorite reviewer. I was seriously considering buying this gun.. After reading your article and all the comments, I would not buy this gun. Unfortunately, it has made me leery to purchase any Walther products.

Hi Mark, Thank you so much for the kind words, I am very humbled. Unfortunately, I think the CCP is one of those models that is hit or miss. Unfortunately, for a gun designed for concealed carry, you cant just hope you got a good one. I really with Walther would have done more to address this problem. I know other Whalther models have very good reliability records, however, it does really bother me that they haven’t taken care of the customers who have had a reoccurring issue with their CCP. Again thank you for the feedback! God bless!

Hi Matthew, I purchased a ccp for my wife in February. Took it out for the first time and it was consistently 8” low at 25 feet. Went home and installed the shortest front sight and it was still shooting so low that in order to compensate for the sights, you cannot see the target. Sent the gun in and Walther said nothing was found wrong with it. Still shoots way too low. Love the ergonomics of it, but may as well throw the gun at the target.

Hello Matthew…first off I want to thank you and everyone who has posted comments about their experiences with this firearm. I was considering purchasing a CCP, but decided to do some research beforehand…I am so glad I did! It seems that Walther has really missed the mark on this one in terms of hit-or-miss reliability. I own a P22 and a PK380…both are enjoyable to shoot, but are very finicky when it comes to ammo. Given all of the comments regarding FTE’s and FTF’s as well as difficulty of takedown and cleaning, I have reconsidered my purchase. I have also had to deal with Walther when my PK380 jammed with a spent cartridge in the bore. I sent it in for evaluation and after having to contact them multiple times over a period of four months, they finally replaced the firearm. Given that this was five years ago, I was hoping that they had improved since then. Maybe some of their top end $800+ firearms are good, but at this price point I guess it’s one to stay away from. It’s really too bad, since I love how this gun feels in my hand and how the features are laid out, but I don’t want to end up with a $400 paper weight. More important…I need to have 100% absolute confidence in a firearm that I may need to protect my life.

Hey Jon,
Thanks for the message. Like you said it is unfortunate that this CCP wasn’t the reliable gun it should have been. It had much potential and appeal but didn’t reach the bar for an EDC gun. It may just be me, but I feel Walther may have abandoned interest in perfecting the CCP because of the success of the PPS line.

In all of the articles we publish on the site, there is always an underlying goal to help the reader make a good decision. Whether it be in their use of force, training, or gear that they buy. Thanks again for reading.

That’s a great point you make…I hadn’t thought of that, but it makes total (financial) sense, which is what I think they are focusing on since the buy out. I just wish Walther would have paid more attention to detail on the CCP…it could have been one of the best. I really hope I’m wrong, but I get the feeling that Walther is heading down the Remington path, and they’re going to ruin their reputation and consumer confidence to save a few bucks.

To many negative issues with this pistol, as mentioned in some of the reviews above, including a poor/cheap trigger with issues, along with a confusing difficult tear down protocol to follow. Who in the hell wants to have to deal with this?

Because Walther has been stubborn and not honorable enough to issue a recall to fix all these issues, I will never again purchase another “Walther Product”.

Even though I can’t afford to purchase the best quality and reliable 9mm for concealed carry and car use carry, I will do so just for the piece of mind that I
have a reliable weapon, that I don’t have to worry about.

I have owned My CCP for a about a year now. I loved it the moment I put it in my hands. I too have smaller hands and I like the grip ergonomics, as such, so that my middle finger and thumb touch when weilding. It is very accurate, perceived recoil truly is quite gentle and very little muzzle rise, making multiple shot taget acquisition fast. The sights are sub par but that is an easy fix. I just painted thedots with glow in the dark paint.

I love this gun, I have been using it as my EDC it just feels like an extention of my hands. I will not sell this gun but I have a few gripes about reliability. The slide is a little sloppy and it rattles slighly but not enough to make noise carry it in a holster but when wielding it is just slightly loose. Thats not to big of a deal, especially at the price point. The trigger is not the fastesr and at first it took some getting used to but it actually functions well enough toremain accurate.

The Reliability Issue: there are tons of black bears ? here this year and I have had to pump a few rounds into the ground to scare em off well about a month ago I came home and as I drove up there they were again getting into our trash cans (since we put our garbage in our shed). It was a cub in the garbage and honking my horn got him to run 15 yards to the tree line. I pulled out my Walther CCP and rack, slap, click, nothing. So again repeat rack slap nothing after doing this 3 times I realized the firing pin or striker was not working. Just then as I was setting my pistol down, or my new brick at this point, mamma bear was in the tree line giving me that look like you hurt my baby I will reck you. So if you drew a line from the two bears and to myself it formed a triangle. I was nearly in between the two which is bad but I put myself next to my front door. So off into the house I go to grab my Benelli Supernova 12gauge scatter gun and came out loaded for bear 🙂 I then pumped a couple rounds into the earth and they took off like jets.

So then I return my attentions to my failed CCP. It put me in an extremely dangerous position. I needed to understand why. So apart it comes and sure enough sheared off firing pin. Walther Customer Support is absolutely superd and speedy and they sent me a new one free and got it within two days. This is my second walther and now I am ordering the new PPQ M2 Q4 TAC , which will be my third Walther handgun. I have many firearms but the CCP failed in a catastrophic way and had those been armed intruders I would be dead, more than likely. For this reason I will no longer carry as my EDC. Now maybe it was just a poorly made striker and maybe the replacement is made stronger, however it too risky to carry concealed. I need my EDC to be proven reliable and the PPQ is right up thereand is battle proven by the military. So in 3 weeks I am ordering the Walther PPQ M2 Q4 TAC.

Now, lastly overall it is a great pistol and I recommend it at that price point. Maybe the firing pin was a fluke but I cant use it for edc but I do love allot about the CCP and is staying in my collection. If you have smaller hand and was a soft and very accurate innexpensive pistol, then it is a superb choice for target practice. I bet it was a one-off so dont let my issue prevent you from its consideration. I love the gun but not for EDC.

I am a fan of Walther pistols and have now four..a P99, a Creed, and a PPQ 22lr, I recently bought used a CCP, just because I thought the design was interesting …it was inexpensive…I am a reasonably knowledgeable firearm guy, and the disassembly while a bit weird isn’t all that much of an issue, once you do it a couple of times. The trigger shoots better than it feels, and that’s hard to explain..dry firing it, it feels creepy, and long, and has a variety of “glitches”…when you shoot it though with real live ammo, it actually feels pretty decent…odd, I know….I thought the recoil was fairly snappy..not brutal, but enough to make you want to secure your grip solidly……when you do disassemble it, it isn’t up to the same quality standards as say a P-30 or a P99….but them, it costs half as much too….There was a recall on them, and the used one I picked up showed that it had been back to Walther, and is so marked…I fired 100 rounds of Sellier and Bellot 115 gr through it, and it chambered, ejected flawlessly, and the sights were pretty much right there….it isn’t a target pistol, nor was it intended to be….It does have a safety, that effectively disconnects the trigger….not an awful idea on a small compact carry pistol as more people shoot themselves holstering a gun than any other way, this minimizes it, the trade off is you have to practice swiping off the safety when you draw from a holster, of course you can be brave and not use the safety…all in all a decent little shooter….